The Senior Retreat is a long standing tradition at Lake Highland. It is a way for the Senior class to bond
before their last year. The day commenced with a Senior class photo followed by a twins photo, and charter
members photo. Then the class bonded over breakfast in the cafeteria followed by ordering their graduation cap
and gown and speed dating in the HCCA. Seniors were then grouped with 20 other students to choreograph a
synchronized swim dance to impress the judges of Mr. Derek Daly, Mr. Garth Parke, Mrs. Danielle Houston, and
Mr. Jonathan Hiett. The day ended with President Jim McIntyre jumping in the pool and a more bonded class.
(Above) The week after Seniors received their personalized Senior jerseys, they wore them for the retreat. Senior jerseys have the year of the class on the front (23) and a number of each student’s choice on the back (typically the jersey number if the student is an athlete). The back has their last name or nickname. The sleeves have patches for the sports, clubs, and activities each student is involved with and a charter member patch for students who have been at the school since Kindergarten. Photo by Rebecca Reif. ( Photo by Rebecca Reif.)(Above) Students were given 1.5 hours to rehearse their synchronized swim. The 10 groups were random groups of 20 students. This was intentional so students would talk to people that aren’t in their friend group. JJ Weltman, grade 12, said, “It was really fun, and I bonded with other classmates I don’t usually talk to.” The retreat was in some ways an extension of DARA and Blackwatch in that both encourage grade bonding. Photo by Rebecca Reif. (Photo by Rebecca Reif. )(Above) Each group of seniors was assigned a 90-second clip of a song they had to perform. Some of the songs included were, “Call Me Maybe,” by Carly Rae Jespen, “I Want it That Way,” by The Backstreet Boys, “Shut Up and Dance,” by WALK THE MOON, and “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift. The winning group was the black swim caps which swam to “I Want it That Way.” Many of the groups personalized their dances based on the interests and skills of the group members. The white caps had many cross-country runners, so they incorporated the cross-country team flag into their routine. The green swim caps also included flips in their routine because many of their members were experienced in doing flips. Photo by Rebecca Reif. (Photo by Rebecca Reif.)(Above) After sharing breakfast, Seniors were seated in the Harriet Coleman Center for the Arts (HCCA) for a round of speed-dating. The first question started off easy with Seniors introducing themselves and sharing their favorite Lake Highland memory. Then one side of the students rotated to new partners. The next question got a little deeper and asked students to reflect on how they would spend their day if they knew it was their last. Some of the more light-hearted questions included sharing your favorite musician, your favorite teacher, and what superpower you would have. Most of the conversations were filled with laughter and camaraderie. Photo courtesy of Lake Highland Prep. (Photo courtesy of Lake Highland Prep.)(Right) Preparations for the synchronized dances included more than choreography. Teams were given zinc face paint, which is pool safe, in a variety of colors. Some Seniors painted their faces like minions, with hearts, and like the Joker. The white swim caps wrote, “Lake Highland 2023!” on the backs of their caps with each Senior having a different letter. At the end of their routine, they got in line to spell out the phrase. Each group was given two floaties as props and was allowed to use props from teachers’ classrooms with their permission. Photo by Rebecca Reif. (Photo by Rebecca Reif.)
